My Beloved Monster
by PolkaMusic
Summary: Rane AU in which Shane volunteers at the local psychiatric ward and falls hard for one of the patients. But there's so much more to this patient than meets the eye. What exactly is wrong with him, and why is he rumored to be the worst one there? CP Coulter's Daltonverse as always.
1. Villain By The Devil's Law

**Couple things:**

**1- This is an AU and therefore there will be changes. Most of it is still canon though and what's not will become apparent.**

**2- For example Clark is no long Reed's halfbrother, but his regular brother.**

**3- Don't get too excited. If you like Clark (and I do too) you won't in here.**

**Yes it will be a chapter fic. And don't worry, I will still update my other stories, I just can't stop writing new ones.**

**Title from the song My Beloved Monster by Eels.**

* * *

_My beloved monster is tough_

_If he wants he will disrobe you_

_But if you lay him down for a kiss_

_His little heart it could explode_

_He will always be the only thing_

_That comes between me and the awful sting_

_That comes from living in a world that's_

_so _

_damn _

_mean_

* * *

Shane was surprised at how much he liked college. He wasn't expecting too much out of it seeing as he wasn't exactly the best academic student, mainly due to laziness rather than stupidity. But he loved to dance, and at his college in New York, that was considered his most important class, never mind the other boring stuff he wasn't so good at.

Which was why this assignment was so important. Sacrifice your entire summer to volunteer at your community of choice and earn a college credit. This was a no brainer. It kind of sucked having to do this every week day of the summer but he figured it would be better than a whole semester of some terrible class. That and staying home and watching Kurt and Blaine be lovey dovey with each other. No thank you.

So when he found himself waiting to sign up for some sort of community service, he wasn't too upset about it. Actually he was grinning. Maybe it would be fun.

But when he got to the sign up sheet, three days later than most people, he was disappointed to see there wasn't much left. He had been thinking maybe an animal shelter, playing with animals all day would be pretty nice. But every single shelter was taken. He shouldn't have been surprised, who wouldn't want help adorable little animals. They were probably the first to go.

In fact there was only a couple of slots open.

His eyes scanned down the list, a knot of disappointment growing in his stomach at each passing opening. It didn't seem like much fun to volunteer at a nursing or retirement home, that would probably make him sad. But it seemed like that was all that was left. Until...

The very last thing on the list made his eyes grow large. It took him all of two seconds to start scribbling his name on the line next to it. This was far more interesting than a nursing home, if not still a little depressing. At least it would guarantee excitement.

Silverton, the psychiatric ward about twenty minutes away from where he lived with Kurt and Blaine. A mental hospital. How many times did an opportunity like this arise? And Shane wasn't someone who let it go, even though judging by the fact it was one of the last things blank, it seemed like no one else felt the same way. Which was fine. Shane started grinning again. This would be fun.

"Are you crazy!" Blaine asked in incredulity later that day, after Shane broke the news.

"No and I would refrain from making comments like that in the future, considering where I'll be working."

Kurt snorted from the kitchen, but said nothing. Shane was a little surprised to see Kurt look so impressed, like he agreed with him.

Blaine on the other hand, did not. "You could get hurt! What if one of them goes into a fit and ends up hurting or killing you! Shane this is dangerous!"

Shane rolled his eyes. "You're overreacting. It'll be fine. There are other people who work there, and they survive. Besides, they have medications and sedatives to keep these people calm. It'll be fun."

Blaine was staring at him across the table with his mouth open. When he finally regained himself, his eyes narrowed slightly. "You have a really messed up idea of fun."

Shane laughed but didn't have a chance to say anything because Kurt chose then to join the conversation.

"I agree with Shane."

Blaine turned to him, shocked expression back in place. "What?"

Kurt shrugged. "I mean, it should be interesting. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Uh death?"

Shane sighed, rolling his eyes again. "I'm not going to die. Stop worrying so much, nothing is going to happen. I probably won't even get to see the patients. It could be dreadfully boring."

Blaine scoffed, and Shane could tell he was hoping what he just said was true. But Shane didn't. He wanted to remember this experience. Hopefully there was something there, good or bad, that would stick with him for the rest of his life.

* * *

Shane woke the next Monday to about ten different text messages from the twins, all stating about the same thing.

**Good luck at the insane asylum!**

**Tell us all about it!**

**We'd like to know about the place we'll end up in one day.**

**Take pictures!**

Shane shook his head smiling. He would be sure to tell them about it, but there was no way he was going to go around taking pictures. He didn't want to look like an idiot.

He showered and dressed in no time, but really that wasn't new. He never put much thought into what he wore or what he looked like.

At breakfast Blaine wasted no time in reminding Shane of every bad thing that could possibly happen.

"Criminally insane, Shane. _Criminally. _Insane. As in criminals!"

Shane sighed, resisting the urge to throw a spoon full of cereal at his annoying brother. "Yeah, I've gathered."

"That means they could have _murdered _someone. Murdered!"

Throwing cereal was seeming like such an appealing idea. "No offense but if you don't shut up, I might do the same to you."

Kurt laughed but Blaine didn't look so amused. "I'm serious. Be careful."

"For godsakes Blaine, what can I do to mess this up? It's not like I'm gonna enter one of the cells and try to have a conversation with the patients. That would be stupid."

He just wanted to catch a glimpse of someone. Maybe learn a few rumors and see for himself if they were true.

He wasn't going to put himself in danger by doing something stupid like that.

* * *

The twenty minute drive went by quickly. Shane could tell he had the right place due to the high fence and locked gate. Even the outside of the building was eerie with what few windows there was being barred down tight. He even had to wait for someone to unlock the door so he could get in. It made him wonder how bad the people they were trying to keep from getting out were.

The first person he saw was a tall man with a badge. He figured he was in charge since he led him to an office like room, making him sign a bunch of papers he didn't read. He could hear Blaine scolding at him for that.

"What happened? Was everywhere else taken?" The man, who had told Shane to call him Mark, asked after Shane finished signing.

"Actually no. This just seemed like the most fun." He grinned but the smile fell when he saw the man staring at him with a judgmental look.

He looked like he thought Shane might belong there, and not just to volunteer. After a long stretch of uncomfortable silence, he spoke again. "You have a really weird idea of fun, kid."

"Yeah," Shane drew out the word, exhaling. "So I've been told."

"Okay well, you're going to want to follow this hallway to the end, then take a right. You'll find the room I'm talking about. You'll meet the other three workers there. They'll tell you what to do."

Shane's eyebrows furrowed. "There's only three other workers?"

"Only three you'll be working with. You won't be with the nurses or physiatrists."

Well duh. Now Shane felt kind of dumb. But if he wasn't going to be with them, who was he working with?

He followed the directions, knocking hesitantly on the right door. He heard shuffling inside and seconds later the door flew open, revealing the brightly smiling face of an Asian boy.

"Hey! Are you Shane! Come in! I'm Wes!"

Shane followed him into the room, feeling some of his tension relieve to see this person so excited, though he didn't know why.

"Jeez Wes, calm down a little." The voice came from the other person in the room, but as far as Shane could tell, that was it. There wasn't anyone else, so who was number three? "I'm David and I think he's just happy that someone new is here." David walked over to where Wes was still grinning, throwing an arm around his shoulder.

Shane eyed them curiously, not being able to stop the question from leaving his mouth. "Are you two together?"

Both of their eyes widen and they jumped away from each other, looking embarrassing. Shane wanted to laugh.

"No! No! I have a girlfriend," David was quick to defend. "Wes used to. We're not gay!"

Shane couldn't resist. "I am."

Their expressions were priceless, as were their explanations. "Oh! Well we didn't mean it in a defensive way, like being gay is bad. Because it's not! If it helps I'd totally be gay with David if I swung that way."

David was saying quite the same thing and Shane couldn't hold it in anymore. They both stopped speaking when Shane started laughing, watching him in surprise and it only made Shane laugh more.

"Very funny," Wes reprimanded, but his eyes and mouth were smiling.

"It was too easy." Shane shrugged in defense. "But it was amusing to see you try."

"Well for the record. Everything I said was true." David threw a wink at Wes, making him and Shane laugh, before walking back to a chair in the corner of the room.

The room looked like a lounge, with a TV, couch, tables, and chairs spread throughout. There was also a refrigerator and microwave but Shane wasn't really paying attention to the normal things. He was looking at everything else. There were dozens of medication bottles on an iron shelf, more than Shane could count. Beside that there was a type of metal trolley covered with paper cups and labels. The room was also filled with tons of paperwork and folders.

"Uh, what exactly do we do here?"

Wes pointed to the shelf Shane was still studying. "We have to go through all those, and issue the right medicine, in the right dosage, to the right patient. It takes a while."

"And then we get the joy of distributing them," David added but his attention was otherwise occupied by a piece of paper Shane couldn't see.

Wes continued on. "We get to do this three times a day!" His voice was full of false optimism and Shane took a guess that he had been doing this for a while. "We get to deliver the food sometimes, too. But don't worry, we don't have to make it."

That was a relief. Shane could follow recipes but that by no means made him a chef or meant he wanted to cook every day.

"So when do we have to do this?"

Wes walked to the trolley and pulled a folder out. "You missed the first round. Second is in a couple hours for lunch."

"And until then?"

Wes handed Shane a couple of papers stapled together, sitting the folder down and pointing to the medicine bottles. "We start sorting."

"Have fun," David said in mocking voice, not looking up from the table.

It turned out that figuring out how much of which medication went to who took a long time, even with help. And Shane wasn't used to this at all. He had to double check the list about six times, every time to make sure the patient in question (which was just a number on a cup so far) had the correct pills and dosage. It didn't help that every single one had to take more than one type of medicine. That reminded him that they all probably had multiple problems, and that made him curious as to what they were.

"So, um," he finally broke the silence sometime after the first two hours. "What are the people here like?"

Wes looked up at him from the other side of the table they were at. "How do you think?"

"Well, I have no idea so I don't know what to think. I've never been to a place like this."

"It's not all that bad. Most of the people are nice enough, they smile at you, talk to you, you'll see them walking around the halls or part of the building they're allowed in but we're not. But some aren't so friendly. Particularly floor three."

"What's so bad about floor three?" Wes was still working, but Shane stopped to listen.

David answered from where he was still across the room. "It's the top floor, where the worst cases are. They aren't allowed out no matter what."

"It's gets worse the higher up you go," Wes continued. "The first floor is the floor above us, which technically means it's second, but we don't count this one. Then there's the second above it. They both have other areas the patients can go, if they're allowed. But the third floor." Shane saw how he lightly shuddered. "It's dim and secluded. It's just that hallway, too. There's nothing else up there. And don't be afraid if people grab or scream at you up there."

Shane was a little afraid already. It sounded like the third floor was something out of a horror movie.

"It won't be that bad. Don't scare him Wes," David commented.

"I'm not scaring him, I'm preparing him! I almost peed my pants my first trip up there." Wes scoffed and David laughed at the memory. "And it didn't help that you couldn't stop laughing!"

Shane smiled. He liked these guys already, even if he was a little frightened by the third floor.

"Anyways," Wes shook his head and continued explaining. "You don't want to do anything to upset anyone on floor three. So you probably shouldn't speak to them, don't even wave. The further you go on the floor, the worse it gets. Three thirty three is the worst though. Last door on the right."

Shane sat up, instantly interested. "What's wrong with three thirty three?"

"He's insane." When Shane fixed him with a 'duh' look, Wes continued. "He's the only one on the third floor who doesn't talk. He doesn't do anything. It's like he's not even there, until he looks at you. He eyes are like knives. And you just want to get the hell out of there. We don't even stay to make sure he takes the pills."

Shane's eyebrows rose. "But shouldn't you?"

Wes just stared at him blankly. "We'll let you go to his door today. See how long you can stand there with those eyes fixed on you."

Shane felt a little annoyed for getting himself in this position, but then again he had been hoping this wouldn't be boring, maybe this was just the entertainment he wished for. But he still felt a little uneasy.

"So what did 333 do to get in here?" The way Wes described him made it seem like he was just a quiet person with a pair of evil eyes. But that didn't mean his eyes matched his soul.

"We don't know the details. We don't get to read the files. And he won't tell us. He never does."

Shane could tell by the way this was worded that the 'he' in that statement wasn't referring to 333. "Who won't tell you?"

"The only person who reads the files. He's not supposed to, but he sneaks and does it anyway."

David spoke up again. "He claims he's just educating himself so he can properly protect us in the case of emergency."

Shane blinked. "What?"

"He thinks that if he knows what's wrong with a certain patient and if he or she goes a little crazy, he'll be better equipped to help them."

Well that made sense to Shane. He was about to point that out when Wes started talking again.

"Which would be awesome except for the fact he won't let us in on it. He says he's the only one who needs to know what these people have been through."

"What's even more than that," Shane turned to watch David speak. "When we confront him about why he gets to be the one to know he replies with 'It takes one to know one.' What the hell?"

Shane's eyebrows shot up again. Did that mean this guy considered himself crazy? "Who are we talking about anyways?"

"The other worker. He's supposed to be here helping us but he likes to make rounds to the first and second floor rec rooms to talk to some of the more sane patients. Which he isn't allowed to do either."

Oh. The mysterious missing number three. Shane got the feeling this guy was a bit of a rule breaker. He wondered how he got away with it.

"Well has he told you anything about 333?"

David had stood up and was walking to them now. "It just so happens that 333 is the only one he flat out refuses to talk about."

Shane frowned. How else was he going satisfy his nosiness? "Why?"

"Well, he is the last door. He's the worst. God only knows what he did to deserve a life sentence."

Shane was now so curious he was about to burst. The nerves were replaced with anticipation to see this guy, and he wasn't scared anymore. Maybe if he got to look in those so called devil eyes, he'd get a glimpse of who 333 was and what he did.

He was also curious as to who number three was. But he didn't need to ask that question, because just then the door opened and someone he'd never seen walked in. This guy didn't look any older than him, and the first thing Shane noticed about him was the hair. It was black as night and stuck out in every direction. Shane could relate, even if this guy's hair wasn't curly. He was strikingly pale though, even more so than Kurt, so that was about as far as their similarities went.

"Hey Dwight," Wes greeted before Shane had the chance to. "This is Shane, the volunteer. Shane this Dwight, the guy who reads all the files but won't let us."

Dwight rolled his eyes before entering. It seemed like he was used to being criticized for this. "You don't need to know."

Wes ignored that. "We were just telling Shane about the patients, particularly 333. He's wants to know about him."

Dwight kind of froze but recovered so fast that if Shane wasn't watching him he would have missed it. "There's nothing to know. Just don't talk to him. Don't even look at him."

Dwight had his back turned to them now so Shane couldn't study his expression when he said this. He wished he could. Just what was that supposed to mean? "But why not?"

Dwight turned to face him this time, his eyes narrowing. "Just don't do it." He walked back out the door, leaving it at that.

Talking to him didn't help at all. It only made him all the more curious.

* * *

When it was time to hand out the medication at lunch, Shane was feeling antsy. The sane part of his mind was kind of scared, but another part was hoping 333 lived up to the hype.

The first floor was pretty tame. He got to hand it out to almost half the floor. Every door had a window and a slot. The slot opened to a shelf sitting in the other side of the door. All he had to do was hand the cup over through this slot, watch the person swallow the pills, and move on.

The second floor was a little more intense. He was either talked to, smiled at, or ignored on the first floor. Now he was either ignored or glared at. And the glares were quite menacing. But still, the first two floors weren't too bad. He could definitely see why some of the people were there though. Others seemed relatively normal.

As they took the elevator to the third floor, Shane bounced on his heels. He was suddenly feeling a lot more excited than fearful.

The door opened and Shane could see that Wes didn't exaggerate. This floor was just a hallway, and it was pretty dark. Shane figured they kept the lights so dim to keep the patients from wanting to escape, maybe if it was dark out they'd want to stay put.

Shane remembered when he first arrived. There was only three rows of barred windows, which meant floor three had none. Honestly, Shane could see why.

Making his way down from door to door proved to be as frightening as he expected, but David and Wes (he had no idea where Dwight had wandered off to) seemed to handle it all in stride so there was no reason he couldn't. After all, he did sign up for this. Who cared if a bunch of terrifying looking people screamed, cussed, and threw things at him. His eyes kept drifting to the last door anyways.

Butterflies were kicking in his stomach as the door got closer and closer. When there was only one cup left of the tray, Wes and David stood side by side grinning at him. Wes thrust the cup to him, and pointed to the door silently.

Shane rolled his eyes, but inside he was jittering. Time to find out what the big deal was.

There was a window on the door, just like all the rest. But Shane noticed that the bars on them got thicker with each floor. That made perfect sense to him considering the kind of people on this one.

He reached for the handle to the slot underneath the window, pulling it open before he allowed himself to take a peek up. His hand froze midair the second he did.

The room was dark, but Shane could still make out the shape of a body lying in the middle of the floor with his knees drawn up. He was staring at the ceiling when Shane first looked up, but at the sound of the slot opening he looked over.

Every one of Shane's muscles locked in place. The eyes. Wes and David weren't lying. Shane felt like he was being dissected just from one look alone. His eyes were piercing and so dark they looked black. It was like they could see right through him.

But it wasn't just the eyes that captivated him, it was that face that held them. He had delicate features and gleaming hair that almost looked crimson. He was so small, almost pixie like, and, Shane was startled to see, very adorable. He looked so young. Shane was having trouble imagining him doing something to warrant being here, not to mention being the worst one.

Shane realized his mouth was hanging open and he had forgotten how to breathe. He was just staring.

Pink lips curled into a devious smirk that matched his eyes perfectly. It was like he liked Shane's reaction.

Shane snapped out of it at that. He swallowed nervously, feeling like a bug under a microscope with this guy observing his every move. He sat the cup on the ledge with shaking hands, shutting the slot and running away as fast as he could.

Wes and David were smirking at him, and even though they didn't speak, and they hadn't since arriving on this floor, Shane could hear them saying 'I told you so.'

* * *

By the time they were supposed to distribute the last dose of medicine for the day, the chills down Shane's spine had still not disappeared. He wasn't ready to look into 333's eyes again, or rather, feel him boring a hole in his face. He let David do it this time.

David was smart enough to keep his eyes down and put the cup down as quickly as possible, retreating without having to look up once.

And even though 333 was the only thing on his mind for the rest of the day, he didn't bring it up again. He already dwelled on it so much this morning, Wes and David were going to think he was obsessed with him. Which maybe he was. He couldn't stop thinking about him for anything.

The next day he decided he was going to stay there. He wasn't going to be scared into running again. He was going to stay there and make sure 333 took his medicine, like they were supposed to, no matter how uncomfortable he made him feel.

But the time Shane was required to come in was after the breakfast round, so he would have to wait until lunch. That was fine though. Shane was so nervous he couldn't stop moving, even when they were sitting there sorting through the medication.

He kept the image of those eyes in his mind, trying to prepare himself for when he saw them again, but he knew that wouldn't really help. 333's eyes were something he just couldn't prepare for.

Making his way up the floors with the other two, still no Dwight, he wasn't as afraid now that he knew what to expect. But then again just knowing what was going to happen when he got to the last door scared the crap out of him.

He grabbed the cup, skipping 332 to ensure Wes or David didn't try to do this for him, and stood in front of the door, taking a deep breath. He opened the slot before looking up, just like last time. But this time 333 was staring right at him, like he was expecting him.

Shane's body froze again, feeling goose bumps spark up his arms just from being looked at. He swallowed down the discomfort, and glanced down, putting the cup through the slot. His body was still rigid even though he felt like running. He wasn't going to. He forced his feet to stay still.

333 didn't stop staring. He was sitting up this time, right in the middle of the floor. Shadows fell on his face but Shane could still make out the glint in his eyes and the smirk on his lips. He felt like he was being analyzed by him again.

He was suddenly aware Wes and David were whispering to him.

"What are you doing?"

"Let's go!"

Shane only held a hand up silently, refusing to look away from the person who was scrutinizing him. He wasn't going to be scared away that easily.

When it became apparent Shane wasn't going anywhere, something in 333's dark eyes changed. He looked confused, maybe even curious.

Shane wasn't going to speak, he only let his eyes drift down to the ledge where the cup sat and back up to the boy on the floor, wordlessly saying he wasn't going to leave until 333 did what he was supposed to.

He didn't need to worry about his message being misunderstood, 333 seemed to understand. He was soon shifting onto his knees and crawling, _crawling, _across the floor. His movements were slow and he never took his eyes off Shane, that was until he disappeared completely. He was near the door now, and out of Shane's line of sight that the window allowed.

Shane strained to look down, but couldn't see anything. His eyes fell to the slot, surprised to find the cup was still there but it was empty. He completely missed 333 taking the pills, he must have done it so quickly.

Fear creeped up his spine when he realized he would have to reach in and take the cup back. Regardless of everything telling him to leave the cup like they usually did, he tentatively reached in and snatched the cup back quickly.

Nothing happened, but in the process of taking the cup back he caught sight of the very eyes that were burned into his head watching him through the slot. It was all he could see of the boy, but just with that he could tell 333 was smirking.

He slammed the slot shut and hurried over the Wes and David, walking with them back to the elevator in silence. Once inside, he was bombarded with questions.

"What the hell was that about?"

"Why'd you stay over there? I already told you we don't have to when it comes to him."

"What were you thinking?"

David was frowning but Wes looked a little excited. "Well what happened? What did you see? What did he do?"

Shane shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing. He just stared at me."

"But how could you stand it? Didn't you feel uncomfortable?"

_Like you have no idea_. Shane didn't say that though. "A little. But honestly I'm more curious as to what's going on behind his eyes than what they look like."

Wes and David stared at him quietly, not sure how to respond. Shane could tell they were questioning his sanity though.

* * *

It was towards the end of the day and, like yesterday, Shane didn't try anything during the dinner round.

He was getting ready to leave when Wes and David brought up what happened again. They were still confused, and trying to get him to explain why he was so interested in 333. Shane couldn't give them and explanation though. He couldn't explain something he didn't understand.

"I don't get why you two don't feel as compelled as I do," he said as if that was a valid answer.

"Maybe because he's nuts," Wes said. He added the next part quickly. "Not to mention dangerous."

"I think there's more to it than that. I want to know what he did. He looks 16 and 90 pounds, what could he possibly have done that's so bad?" Shane drifted off into thought, unaware of the looks he was being given. "I want to know why he's here. And why he looks so…" He didn't know how to put it, but something about 333 didn't seem so evil, even with those eyes of his. "Scared."

He looked up and saw Wes and David thought he was crazy again. But that was fine. Maybe he was.

* * *

The next day Shane had a plan, a plan that would take every ounce of guts he had to put into action. He was quite aware that what he was doing was against the rules and could very well get him kicked out, but then again he didn't think he would get caught. It's not like anyone would check.

He slipped out of the room just before lunch, heading towards the office he had signed paperwork in a on his first day. He had a formulated lie in mind to get the room empty, but upon entering he found that was unnecessary as there was no one there.

It only made the illegal offense he was about to do easier. His eyes scanned over the key rack, seeing there was at least two on every key ring and they were all hanging underneath the number of the door they unlocked. Beside the rack was a much larger key ring, holding tons of keys together. He moved to inspect it, figuring they were spares. Each key had a number carved into it and it didn't take him long to find 333.

It was a little hard getting it off, but not impossible. He stuffed the key in his pocket and rushed out of the room before anyone could come back and catch him. Hopefully no one would miss the key. It didn't seem like anybody would need the third spare anytime soon.

The whole rest of the day he couldn't stop fidgeting. The key made his pocket feel ten times heavier and he had to keep checking to make sure no one could see the outline of it through his jeans. His hand was almost constantly clutching it for fear it would fall out. And then what would he do?

He hadn't worked up enough courage to put the next part of his plan into action until the next day.

Today and the day before he refrained from going to door 333, trying to give Wes and David the impression he wasn't so interested anymore. Maybe they would catch on to where he was going if they still thought he was.

It was sometime after lunch when Shane finally couldn't take it anymore. He stood up, interrupting Wes and David's conversation to announce he was going to try to find out where Dwight always disappeared to. They seemed fine with it and immediately went back to talking.

Shane dashed out the door and practically flew to the stairs. He thought taking the elevator might be too noisy and he didn't need anybody knowing what he was about to do.

As he climbed the stairs he was suddenly remembering what he told Blaine on his first day. He said he would never enter a cell and try to have a conversation with one of the patients.

_Sorry Blaine, _he thought, not feeling sorry at all. _I lied._

He just couldn't feel any guilt over it when the only thing he did feel was obscene amounts of curiosity. He wanted to know everything about 333, including why he didn't talk. Maybe Shane could change that.

Entering the third floor alone was just about terrifying, but no amount of fear could change his mind once he got this far. Still, he kept his breathing shallow and his footsteps light and quiet. He didn't want anyone to know he was there.

When he reached the end of the hall he took a deep, jagged breath and slowly slid the key into the lock. Here goes nothing.

He opened it as quietly as he could and stepped inside the dark room, knowing with every part of his mind this was a really stupid idea. He still let the door close softly behind him, but he didn't really notice it.

He was frozen in his tracks again, but this time it wasn't for the usual reason. 333 was sitting on his usual spot on the floor (Shane still didn't understand why he didn't sit in the chair or bed) but he looked different. Way different.

Black eyes that were usually peering straight through him with varying degrees of malice were wide and brown this time. They were impossibly big and held extreme amounts of fear in them. His whole demeanor was trembling and showed how terrified he felt. Shane was sure he could see tears swimming in his large eyes.

He was stunned silent. 333 always looked menacing, but now, now he looked three seconds away from bursting into tears. Shane had no idea what to do.

"Are… are you okay?" he whispered dumbly. Of course he wasn't okay if he looked like that.

At the sound of his voice, 333 gasped and backed into the wall with a slightly open mouth. His shaking got harder and he cowered in on himself, rocking and pushing his head into his knees. His nails gripped onto his plain black pants and Shane could hear him crying.

Shane's mouth was hanging open. What was he supposed to do?

"Um," he began, moving slowly from the door and sliding down the opposite wall 333 was huddled at. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you I swear." He saw a glistening eye peek up at him from around a knee. He held his hands up. "I just wanted to talk to you. My name is Shane. What's yours?"

333 hesitantly looked up fully, and Shane was glad to see the tears had stopped, but he still looked petrified. He hugged his knees tighter and glanced back down, still shaking. Shane could finally find the word he had been looking for earlier, what seemed so surprising about 333. He looked innocent. But he figured 'scared' was still accurate too. He had just never seen him look quite this scared.

"You have a name don't you?" He asked after a long moment of silence.

333 still didn't look up. It seemed this was going to be harder than Shane thought.

"Hey," he said softly, trying to lure him into looking up. "I swear on my life that I'm not going to touch you."

The atmosphere in the room changed so fast Shane had trouble processing it at first. He could see 333's lips curl up into a now familiar smirk. He was still looking down when those lips parted and an intimidating voice came out. "Too bad."

Shane could barely register that 333 had spoken, let alone what he said. Or what it meant. "I'm sorry, what?"

333 finally looked up and Shane could see his smirk was reflected his now black eyes. "I said," he spoke slowly, mockingly. "Too. Bad."

Shane felt brain dead. Too many things were happening at once. First this guy wouldn't talk, and now that he was he was saying _this_ while looking just as evil as before. Why was he so scared at first then, and what happened to change that? Shane had no idea what to say or do, but he didn't need to.

333 looked him over in a way oddly reminiscent of how a hungry predator looked over its prey. "You said you wouldn't touch me. Too bad."

Shane suddenly caught onto the innuendo and blushed brightly. 333's voice when he said that only made it worse. "Uh. I… Uh. What?"

333 laughed and the sound sent a chill rocking down Shane's spine. It seemed like he liked to see Shane blubbering like an idiot. His head cocked to the side and he licked his lips very leisurely. "You're cute."

Now Shane's face was a dark red color. "Oh. Um. Thank you?"

333 laughed another chilling laugh and sat up. "What exactly are you doing in here? Don't you know it's a bad idea to come to a crazy person's cellblock alone?"

Shane swallowed thickly. What was he doing here? He couldn't very well tell this looming person that he was inappropriately fascinated with him. "Um well I just." He paused, deciding to be partially honest. He looked 333 in the eye. "You seem different."

Shane thought he could see something flash in 333's eyes but before he could place what it was, 333 was back to smirking and was crawling over to him.

"Well you seem pretty different yourself. You're the first one who has done something like this."

Shane couldn't see why. There was something about 333 that was impossible to resist. "Well," he tried to focus on speaking and ignore how close 333 was getting. "I've been told I'm pretty strange."

333 spit out another laugh. "You and me both. Wow. We have so much in common." Shane gulped. This guy certainly was intimidating. He appeared to like Shane's reactions a lot. "What's your name?"

Shane had been sure he told him that, but wasn't about to argue. "Shane. What's yours?"

333 was only inches away, but he stopped at the question, sitting there and watching Shane with a tilted head. His smirk faded just slightly. "Why do you want to know?"

Shane sat up a little straighter, feeling defensive. "Well why did you want to know my name?"

The smirk was back with abundance. "Touché." His first finger made its way into his mouth and he bit down as he stared Shane over. A couple minutes past before he spoke again. "Fine. You really want to know my name?"

Shane nodded. There was an amused glint in 333's eyes that he didn't fully understand. "It's Riley." Before Shane could say anything, he was speaking again. "But only sometimes."

What.

Shane's eyebrows pulled together. "What does that mean?" he asked in confusion.

"It means," he drew the word out in over exaggerated impatience. "That I'm not always Riley."

Shane was just going to pretend that made sense. "And who are you when you're not Riley?"

333, or Riley, looked back at him, appearing to be completely serious. "Reed."

Shane's head was starting to reel. 333 was two different people? Did that mean he had Multiple Personality Disorder or something? Honestly, it wouldn't really surprise him since 333 was here of all places. "And you're Riley right now?"

333 nodded, smirk falling back into place. He crawled a little closer until there was no space between them left. "You'll like Riley," he whispered in a low voice. It sounded almost… seductive? "I'm a lot of fun."

Shane was still trying to keep up and figure this out but it was hard to do when Riley was talking like that and running a hand down his chest. "Um w-what?" He still had a bunch of questions.

Riley took his confusion as being over what he last said. "Do you want to see how fun I can be?"

Shane wasn't sure how to answer, and he really wasn't given the chance. Riley swung his leg over, climbing on top of Shane's lap and straddling him.

Shane stared up in shock at the boy sitting on him and smirking. He tried to say something but all that came out was a squeak.

Riley laughed at that, and racked his nails down Shane's bare arms. When he started rocking in his lap, Shane finally regained enough sense to speak. "What are you doing!"

Riley had a hand in Shane's hair. "Playing with my new toy," he answered simply before he leaned down to attach his lips to Shane's neck.

Shane was completely frozen. This wasn't exactly how he planned their conversation to go, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't attracted to 333. He was beautiful. And Shane was feeling incredibly turned on by the thought of being his 'toy.' It took a second for him to come to his senses and realize this wasn't what he wanted 333 for though. He wanted to get to know him, not take advantage of him. Although right now it seemed like he was the one being taken advantage of.

"Um, R-Riley. Maybe you should stop."

Riley's lips left Shane's neck only long enough to ask, "And why would I want to do that?"

"Because… um." Why did Shane want him to stop again? He couldn't seem to remember. He finally broke down, figuring kissing wouldn't be so bad. That's all though. He wasn't going to do anything more with someone he just met.

He started placing kisses up Riley's neck, causing the smaller boy to stop sucking Shane's skin and let his head fall back.

He only let Shane do this for a couple minutes before he took the control back and used the hand that was still in Shane's curls to jerk his head back roughly. He pressed their lips together, and instantly let his tongue lick over Shane's closed mouth.

When Shane deepened the kiss he could feel Riley smirking against his lips. He was awfully cocky, wasn't he.

Shane suddenly flipped them, trying to take that smirk right off his face. As soon as he was the one on top, he could tell he accomplished this when Riley's smile fell. He was feeling pretty good about that until he heard a whimper. It wasn't the good kind either. This one sounded scared and as soon as he realized this he also noticed Riley wasn't kissing him back anymore. He could feel small hands trying to push against his chest and instantly jumped back.

"What's wrong?" he asked in alarm. He didn't understand what happened.

333 sat up and scooted back to the opposite wall, watching Shane with wide, terror filled eyes. He looked like he was about to cry again.

Shane was so confused. "Riley?"

333 shook his head slowly. He was shaking now and wrapping his arms around his knees again.

It took Shane a minute to fully understand. "…Reed?"

He nodded but not before letting a few tears out.

Now Shane felt like shit. "I'm sorry, Reed! I thought you were Riley! He was…" He suddenly trailed off, not having any idea how to describe this. He still wasn't sure what just happened. "I'm so sorry I scared you." He should have considered the fact that there was more to 333 than Riley, and maybe Reed didn't want to be assaulted like that. "I am so sorry."

Reed watched him silently from behind his knees, not saying a thing. When he glanced down and hugged himself tighter, hiding completely, Shane realized he wasn't going to.

He stood up on shaky legs, backing away slowly. "I really am sorry. I'll just… go."

Reed still didn't look up, only shook harder. Shane wished there was something he could do, but he only seemed to make it worse.

As he left, he kept repeatedly mentally kicking himself. Because of him Reed was alone in a dark cell, shaking and crying. And for some reason Shane didn't like the thought of that at all.

* * *

"I think I have a crush on someone."

The random announcement was made at dinner that night after he got back home. He hadn't seen Reed, or Riley, since what happened. He let Wes give him his pills at dinner and didn't go back into the cell. He was sure Reed was terrified of him and he didn't know what to do about it. It made him feel awful though, and he spent the rest of the day in deep thought, trying to figure out why he cared so much.

His announcement was the conclusion.

Kurt squealed a little in delight. "Do tell!"

Even Blaine looked approving.

"Well he's from Silverton…"

Kurt nodded slowly as he tried to figure it out. "But I thought you said those two were straight?"

"I did. It's not them." Shane glanced down.

"Oh! Is it the other one? The one you said is really mysterious and never there with the crazy hair?" Kurt guessed again.

Shane shook his head. He had only told Kurt and Blaine about Wes, David, and Dwight. He never mentioned 333. He wouldn't know how to explain. Hell, even now when he did bring it up he didn't know how to explain it.

"But I thought you were only working with three people?" Blaine asked.

"I am," Shane admitted. "He's not a worker… He's a patient." He mumbled the last part quietly but he knew they heard it when silverware was dropped with metallic clangs.

"What!" they both shouted simultaneously.

Blaine didn't look so approving anymore. "Have you lost your mind!"

Kurt didn't say anything else but he seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"No, I don't think I have." Shane sighed and leaned back in the chair, looking over their stunned faces. "Just, I don't expect you to understand, but there's something about him. Something different."

Kurt seemed to perk up at that. "Like what?"

"Well," Shane tried to think of a way to start. He still didn't get it himself, how could he explain it to two other people? "At first glance he seems really patronizing and cruel, cocky and independent. But there's another part of him, too. He's really scared and innocent, sweet even. And very adorable."

Shane came back to Earth to find Blaine's expression hadn't changed but Kurt was smiling. "That's really good of you to see past his exterior."

"Actually, it's a little more than that." Kurt looked confused so Shane just spit it out. "There's literally two different sides of him. He has Multiple Personality Disorder."

There was silence. Blaine's face was frozen in shock. He shook his head and fell back in the chair, almost laughing at the sheer absurdity. "This is insanity."

"Isn't it though." Shane agreed, but he didn't really have a problem with it.

"Hold on." Kurt still looked puzzled. "How do you even know this? I thought you couldn't read the files and that guy that does wouldn't tell you anything?"

Shane coughed awkwardly. "I um, may have talked to him myself…"

Kurt raised a perfect eyebrow. "You learned all that just from giving him his medicine?"

Instead of answering, Shane fished around in his pocket. He slid the key across the table to Kurt slowly.

Kurt picked it up to inspect it, but Blaine was the one who talked next.

"You stole his key!" He jumped out of the chair and started shouting. "You _stole _the key! Why? So you could sneak into his cell and _talk _to him!"

Shane nodded. "That's exactly right."

Blaine looked genuinely even more surprised that Shane wasn't going to deny it.

"What the hell! You aren't allowed to do that! And I told you to be careful, you could have been killed! What is wrong with you!" He smacked Shane upside the head.

"Look, he's not dangerous, okay?" Shane rubbed his head in annoyance. "I told you. There's something innocent about him."

Blaine stopped pacing, holding up his hands in defeat. "I can't even deal with this right now." He started collecting the dishes and making his way to the kitchen.

Shane sighed and watched him go. He should have known Blaine would be more worried than anything else.

Kurt was starting to grin. "I think that's cute." He gave Shane the key back. "Like a bittersweet, tragic love story. You want to be with him but it's impossible for a multitude of reasons. Pretty romantic."

Shane pursed his lips. "You know oddly enough, that isn't really helping."

Kurt laughed and stood up to go find Blaine. "Well for the record, I'm on your side. Let me know if you need help breaking him out." He winked before walking out the room.

Shane stared after him, feeling a little funny. He hadn't thought of that before, but hearing someone else say it, it didn't seem like such a bad idea.


	2. All Reason Aside, I just Can't Deny

**Warning: There be blood.**

* * *

It was the last day of his first week and Shane intended to do the same thing. He didn't care what Blaine said, he just couldn't leave it at that. The image of Reed shaking and crying all because of something he did wasn't going to leave him any time soon. He had to see if he was okay.

He managed to sneak away just as easily as the day before, taking the stairs again. He took his time in the hall, trying to collect himself and figure out what he was going to say. He still didn't know what to do other than apologize again.

By the time he reached the door nothing had changed, but that didn't stop him from instantly opening it.

The room was just as dark as before but this time 333 was already huddled in the corner. He looked up in surprise when the door opened. Judging by the wideness of his eyes and their soft brown color, Shane assumed he was currently Reed.

Good. Reed was the one he needed to apologize to.

"Hi," he greeted quietly, sitting down against the same wall as yesterday.

Reed didn't say anything, only watched him with the same large eyes. They didn't look wet though so Shane took that a good sign.

"I'm really sorry about what happened yesterday." Not only did he feel terrible for scaring Reed so badly, but he felt stupid for thinking kissing this guy he knew nothing about was a good idea. "I promise nothing like that will happen again. I don't want to do anything to hurt you. I just wanted to talk to you."

Reed just stared at him. He looked a little confused, there was a small crease between his eyebrows and he was pouting adorably.

"That's still all I want. Are you okay?"

Reed blinked at him, and Shane thought there was nothing cuter than this boy in front of him. It was really shocking how mischievous and sexy Riley could be, and then how pure and innocent Reed was. It really was like they were two different people.

Finally he responded. It was just a tiny little nod but Shane took it, happy that Reed was communicating with him at all. But his arms were wrapped around himself defensively, so Shane was sure to take caution.

"You can talk to me you know. I won't hurt you."

Reed still looked hesitant.

The room remained silent, neither one of them saying a thing. Reed's fingers were gripping and releasing the fabric of his black pants over and over. He looked like he wanted to say something, so Shane patiently waited.

His mouth opened but he only bit his lip, looking confused. Shane gave him an encouraging smile.

"Why are you here?" It was said so quietly Shane could barely hear it.

"To talk to you," Shane said as though this was the most obvious thing in the world.

Reed's grip on his knees tightened and his voice remained just as quiet. "But why?"

Shane shrugged loosely, deciding to be honest. He actually didn't think he could ever lie to Reed. Or Riley, or whoever else he was. "I like you."

Reed's already large eyes got impossibly wider. He stared at Shane in disbelief, not saying anything else. It was obvious to Shane that he was speechless this time, rather than afraid.

"There's just something about you," Shane continued speaking, feeling like he should be embarrassed about what he was saying even though he didn't. "I want to get to know you."

Reed closed in on himself again, looking defensive. Shane thought he may have said the wrong thing until a voice interrupted his thoughts. It was much deeper and Shane could instantly recognize it as Riley's.

"Why do we have to talk about me? Let's talk about you." His posture was now completely different. He had released his knees and was sitting up, no longer hiding. That glint was back in his dark eyes as he looked Shane over.

"Okay." Shane was fine with that, just as long as they were talking about something. "What do you want to know?"

Riley didn't say a word, only pointed to his bed with a devious smirk creeping on his lips.

Shane eyed him suspiciously. "Are you going to try to seduce me again?"

Riley laughed, and just like yesterday, it sent chills down Shane's spin. "Trust me," he said standing up. "If I was seducing you, you'd know it." He walked over to the chair that was across from the bed and sat down, drawing his knees up in front of him. "We're going to play a game." He took one look at Shane's expression and laughed again. "Don't worry. It's not a sexual game. Unfortunately."

He was pointing to the bed again and Shane couldn't stop himself from standing up and walking the short distance to it.

"Lie down," Riley commanded and Shane instantly obeyed. "Good. Now it's like you're the patient and I'm the doctor. That's fucked up, huh?"

Riley's eyes and voice were full of amusement but Shane didn't think it was that funny. He knew Riley was making light of his situation, but Shane didn't really like hearing him belittle himself because of it.

"We're playing Psychiatrist if you haven't figured it out. Trust me, I've been to enough to know how it works. Basically I'll just ask you a bunch of bullshit questions about your life and past. Oh and do try to answer honestly because if you don't," Riley frowned a little in mock regret. "Well, then you're not cooperating and you'll have to be punished, usually with restraints."

He winked after the sentence, but Shane could tell it wasn't completely a joke. It made him a little afraid of what he had been through. But he was sitting up now, smirking and pretending to hold a clip board.

"So Shane, what's your last name?"

"Anderson. What's yours?" Shane couldn't help it. If Riley was going to be learning all this information about him, he wanted to know some things about him too.

But Riley's expression instantly darkened and Shane regretted asking. "We're not talking about me, we're talking about you." His voice was darker too and Shane gulped, nodding wordlessly. His expression quickly changed back. "Good. Now, next question. How old are you?"

"Twenty."

Riley pretended to look shocked. "Only one year younger than me!" He looked excited but Shane could tell it was fake. It didn't reach his eyes at all.

He was about to point out that Riley just said he wasn't going to talk about himself, but thought better of it. At least he now knew something about him. "You seem a lot younger though."

Riley ignored that and asked another question. "What's your favorite thing to do?"

"Dance." Though lately it had become talking to him, but Shane wasn't going to admit that.

Riley hummed with interest and pretended to write something down on the invisible clipboard. Shane thought it was adorable. "What's your favorite color?"

"Green."

He made a face Shane couldn't help but to laugh at. "Blue's better. What's your favorite food?"

"Anything. I just like food in general."

Riley snorted but made no other comment. "Are you or are you not in fact gay?"

"I am," he answered even though he didn't know what that had to do with anything.

He didn't miss how Riley's smirk seemed to widen at this information. "Excluding me of course, how many other boys have you kissed?"

"Uh, one." Shane wasn't sure if he liked where this was going.

Riley's smirk was becoming more and more deceitful. "And how many have you had sex with?" he laughed when Shane's eyes got wide. "Just answer the question. You don't want to be restrained now do you?"

Shane shook his head numbly, mumbling "Just one."

Riley sat back, his finger touching his lips, just barely in his mouth. "My, my, you really are innocent aren't you?"

Honestly Shane could have asked him the same question. He didn't though, keeping his mouth shut and shrugging. Riley moved on to the next question easily. "Would you have sex with me?"

Shane almost choked on his spit. He gasped instead, feeling the blood flood to his cheeks. There was no way he was answering that question, no matter how much Riley threatened to restrain him.

Fortunately Riley started laughing so Shane didn't have to. "Don't worry, I wasn't being serious." Shane felt relieved until Riley continued. "We both know you would."

Shane was left feeling speechless once more.

But Riley was moving on to the next question as though nothing had happened. "Where do you live?"

He was able to recover fast enough to answer. "About twenty minutes away."

"And do you live alone?" There was a mischievous undertone that Shane understood completely.

He didn't feel too bad about disappointing Riley since he knew what he was thinking. "Actually I don't. I live with my brother and his boyfriend."

Something in the air changed then. It felt heavier, thicker though Shane had no idea why. The only thing he was aware of was the way Riley had frozen in his seat, staring ahead at the wall blankly. His face had become distant, like Riley was no longer present, like no one was.

He sat up, feeling alarmed. 333 wasn't moving at all. He wasn't even breathing. "Hey. Are you okay?"

Dark eyes snapped up suddenly, staring at Shane with what he could only identify as hatred. He had barely processed this when a dark, cold voice whispered.

"Get out."

He wasn't looking at Shane anymore. His head was tilted towards the ground with his hair hiding his eyes.

Shane sat there frozen in confusion. He wasn't sure if he heard correctly, not until the same voice repeated itself, shouting.

"I said get the fuck out!"

He could see 333's nails were gripping his pants so tightly the fabric could have been torn. His body started shaking and Shane knew it wasn't from fear this time.

When Shane didn't move, he was still too stunned to do anything except try to figure out what was going on, 333 looked up at him again. The look in his eyes had Shane feeling terrified. "Now!" As did the sound of his voice.

Shane scrambled up, running out of the room even though he didn't want to. He wanted to stay and figure out what in the world just happened, why 333 suddenly looked so angry, and what Shane had done to upset him. He was just answering questions. He didn't expect him to snap like that.

He took the stairs slowly, thinking all this over. He felt so confused, not to mention guilty even though he had no idea what he did. He had never thought Riley could look so… malicious. But it had to have been him because there was no way that was Reed. Riley was the cruel one after all, wasn't he?

Shane spent the rest of the day in deep thought, barely noticing what was going on in the world around him. He felt so bad knowing he caused Riley to react like that. He obviously said or did something wrong, making Riley have a violent reaction.

Maybe it was because he mentioned his family. Maybe it upset Riley because he didn't have one. That thought made Shane feel even worse. He was already locked up in a psych ward for the rest of his life, but being completely alone in the world would be too depressing.

It only made Shane want to keep visiting him, give him someone to talk to and make sure he didn't feel lonely. But today was Friday and that meant Shane wouldn't see him again for two more days. He hoped Riley forgave him for whatever it was he did by then.

The weekend passed by way too slowly, and even though it was supposed to be a break, Shane didn't feel very relaxed. His mind was on 333 almost constantly, and Kurt and Blaine weren't blind to his sudden disinterest in life. They finally managed to bug him enough until he talked.

"It's not like you're going to approve of what I say."

Blaine frowned. "Should I be worried?"

But Kurt looked completely the opposite. He was grinning widely. "Is it about the patient? What happened? Come to think of it," he suddenly looked thoughtful, excited but thoughtful. "You haven't told us anything about him except the MPD. What's he like? What's his name? What'd you talk about? Did you talk to him again? Did something happen? Is that why you look upset?"

"Uh…" Shane stalled. Which one of those was he supposed to answer first? "Well he kind of has two different names." At Blaine and Kurt's confused stares he hastily explained. "For his different personalities. Riley is cocky, Reed is sweet. But they're both just so," he sighed, looking drearily into space. "Incredible. And intriguing. And so very adorable."

"Wow," Kurt deadpanned before his grin returned. "You've got it bad."

Shane sighed, letting his head fall into his hand. As if he didn't know that already.

Blaine looked extremely wary. "What do you even talk about?"

"Me mostly. He doesn't like to talk about himself." He chose to leave out the details of their first conversation. There was no reason Kurt or Blaine had to know Riley climbed on his lap and claimed he was now his toy. He wasn't sure how that news would go over.

"Then how do you know you like him if you don't even know him?" Blaine pressed.

"I don't need to know everything. I like what I do know." Which admittedly wasn't much, but Shane could hardly care.

"Alright well, do you know long he has to stay there?"

Shane paused. He didn't want to but he knew he would have no choice but to answer. "…For life." He also knew he wasn't making a very good case for himself, and he didn't need to look at Blaine to know what his reaction would be.

And much like he expected, Blaine had sighed and was burying his head in his hands. "Shane," he said the name like he was praying for patience. Or just that he could hardly believe his brother was this foolish. "How is this even going to work if he's in a mental institution for the rest of his life? How do you expect to have a healthy relationship with him? You can't take him out on a proper date, you can't introduce him to your family and friends, you can't propose to or marry him, you can't really have a future with him at all. You can't even see or talk to him without breaking the rules, maybe even the law. How are you going to deal with that?"

In all honesty Shane didn't know. It's not like he hadn't been worrying about every single thing Blaine just said. But it upset him so he tried not to think too much about it.

"Shane," Blaine brought his hands down to stare in his eyes. "This is a bad idea. And I would suggest that you just get out and leave it alone before you get too invested and in too deep."

Shane looked away with a sigh. That was good advice but it was advice he wouldn't be following. As far as he was concerned he already was in too deep. Nothing left to do now except sink in further.

"I know you're trying to help, Blaine. And you want to protect me from getting hurt, but it's not that easy."

"Hold on," Kurt interrupted, holding up a hand. "Am I the only one concerned as to why he's in there for life? I don't suppose you know what he did?"

Both he and Blaine eyed him as Shane reluctantly shook his head. "No. I don't."

Blaine groaned. "What if he did something really bad? What if he's in there for life because he _deserves _to be?" He pinched the bridge of his nose, looking tired. "Shane, I think you might be in over your head."

Shane almost laughed. He was already well aware of that.

* * *

It wasn't his alarm that woke him up on Monday morning, it was his ringtone. He had to fumble around blindly, searching for his phone on the night stand, for over a minute just to answer the call.

"Hello?" he mumbled, still heavily groggy as he took a glance at the clock.

"Hey Shane. It's Wes."

Shane was glad he introduced himself because in his sleep induced state he hadn't thought to look at the caller ID before answering.

"Why are you calling so early? I don't have to be there for another hour and a half."

"I know. But you should probably get over here."

Shane finally opened his eyes completely, just then noticing the hint of urgency in Wes' voice. "Why, what's wrong?"

"Do you remember cellmate three thirty three?"

Shane sat up in surprise. Remember? How could he forget? "Yeah…"

"Well… he's kind of having some sort of fit. He's gone mental."

"What?" Shane jumped up so fast he lost his balance and rolled out of bed.

"I normally wouldn't call you but…"

"But what!" Shane shouted as he scurried around looking for clean clothes in the mess that was his room.

Wes was silent. Shane was about to start yelling at him again when he finally spoke up, sounding nervous. "He's been saying your name."

Shane stopped his search long enough to hang up. He didn't need to hear anything else, he was already rushing around like mad. He was worried and also confused. Why was he freaking out, did something happen? He tried not to feel excited that Reed or Riley wanted him specifically, especially when he didn't know the circumstances regarding his fit.

His driving was reckless but he couldn't be bothered to be safe, not when he was this worried. It didn't take long to get there and once he was, he ran the rest of the way inside, taking the stairs two at a time.

Entering the hallway on the third floor, he could already hear the commotion going on from the last door. It made his stomach tighten and his legs run faster.

The first thing he saw as he entered the room was blood, so much blood. If he wasn't already feeling wild with panic, he was now. It took a second for him to realize all the blood came from the screaming, thrashing body on the bed. Nurses and other officials Shane had only seen in passing were pinning him down, forcing his feet and bloody wrists in restraints. He was jerking around so much it took them a while to get it, but after a doctor stabbed a needle full of what Shane could only assume was a sedative into his arm, he slowly went limp.

Shane watched the scene unfold with wide eyes, feeling too stunned to have a real reaction. The time it took for the nurses and orderlies to finish up, collect their things, and leave was also how long it took for Shane to snap out of it.

He turned to look at Wes and David, who had been standing quietly in the corner the whole time.

"What the hell happened?"

Instead of waiting for someone to answer, he dropped down beside the bed, looking over 333's body in disbelief. His white outfit was stained red, making him look like he just came out of a slasher flick. The red was coming from his arms. His sleeves were pushed up to reveal gash after gash lining from just above his elbows all the way to his wrists. The cuts were long and jagged, ranging in size and location, appearing to have no real arrangement, like they were done with no other intention but to cause quick pain. Some looked deep and Shane figured the nurses would have to be back soon to bandage him up. But he couldn't imagine how Reed or Riley could do this to himself.

"How did this happen?"

David finally stepped forward. "We don't know. He just completely lost it. He was screaming and freaking out and when we came in to restrain him he started hitting and kicking everyone. It took five people to grab him and put him on the bed. You saw the rest."

That part of the story worried Shane too, but that's not what he was most concerned with. "Okay but what the hell happened to his arms?" One glance around told him the blood wasn't just on 333's body, but on the walls and floor. There was no way they couldn't have noticed it.

This time it was Wes who spoke. "He had already done that when we showed up. Apparently he broke a loose spring from the box mattress and just," he gestured with his hands, not knowing how to explain. "Butchered himself with it."

Shane didn't think that was a very nice way to put it. "But why?" His eyes scanned the various painful looking marks on his arms, trying to comprehend how he could do this to himself.

"Who knows. He's not exactly in a sane mindset."

That wasn't the answer he was looking for, but he knew Wes and David wouldn't know anything. He'd have to wait until 333 woke up and told him himself. Something occurred to him then, something he managed to forget in all the shock and alarm. "Didn't you say he was saying my name?"

"…Yeah. He shouted it a couple times when people invaded his room. We don't know why and he didn't say anything else." Wes laughed a little nervously, looking extremely uneasy. "We don't even know how he knew it. Creepy right?"

It wasn't really considering Shane knew exactly how he had known. He told him. He didn't say anything though, they didn't need to know about his rule breaking. He was sure they'd be more interested than appalled, and probably wouldn't scold him for it like everyone else would. They looked completely fascinated just to be in the room, to see the person who glared at them so coldly with dark eyes up close. Shane could tell they thought nothing more of him than a legend, a character from a scary story. They didn't want him to be a real person, only a source of entertainment.

A nurse returned then, ready to fix up 333's wounds, but Shane only moved out of her way. He wasn't going to leave the room until he woke up and could talk to him. Wes and David stayed put too, at least until she was finished.

Once there was nothing left to see except 333 in his drug induced sleep, they headed to the door. "Are you coming?"

Shaking his head, Shane didn't even look up. "Not just yet."

Wes looked at David in confusion but they both just shrugged it off, exiting the room and closing the door behind them.

Shane sighed, instantly feeling more relaxed now that it was just the two of them. But he was still feeling deeply worried. He didn't understand why 333 would do this; what happened to make him so upset; was he trying to end his life? Shane's stomach twisted painfully. He sincerely hoped not.

The only thing he could do while 333 slept the sedative off was watch him. He was sweet and peaceful looking, but something about him still seemed scared, like he was hiding from something even in his sleep. Shane thought about this and made other observations he couldn't have noticed before, like the small cluster of freckles that were barely visible going across his small nose, or the way his lips pouted making them appear fuller than they actually were.

Shane continued to observe him for well over two hours, just waiting for him to wake up.

When the first flutter of eyelashes came, Shane sat up, alert but ready to finally talk to him, whoever he was right now. When his eyes opened fully, they looked a soft brown color. But it was the gasp of fear and flood of mist to those eyes that told Shane who it was.

"Reed?" he whispered, trying not to scare him even further.

His wide eyes locked on Shane and he shook, trying to pull his hands free from the restraints.

"Don't do that." Shane put a gentle hand on his forearm. "You might hurt yourself."

Reed glanced down to look at Shane's hand touching him, but he forgot all about that once he got a look at himself. Another gasp escaped him and his breath started shaking. When he looked back up at Shane there was shock and confusion in his large eyes. "W-what happened?" His voice was just as quiet as it had been the other times Shane heard him speak. "Why am I covered in blood?"

He sounded so scared, and Shane wished he had the answers. But it seemed as though Reed didn't either, so this must have been Riley's doing. "Do you remember what happened?" he asked as he leaned over to start undoing Reed's restraints.

"No," Reed whimpered, bottom lip quivering and a few tears sliding down his cheeks. Once his hands were free he looked over the bandages on his arms and the blood on his clothes. "Whose blood is this?"

When he started picking at the bandage on his left arm, Shane was careful to pull his hand away. "Don't mess with those, you might unravel them."

"So it's my blood?" Reed was still shaking and crying silently. Shane wished he wouldn't. It hurt to see. "What happened to me?"

Shane didn't want to tell him. He didn't even know how. "Someone hurt you. Do you know who would do that?"

Reed shook his head, still staring at Shane with the same wide eyes.

Shane tried to smile at him, but it was small. He was still frightened by what just happened and the fact Reed could remember none of it.

At Shane's smile Reed's cheeks stained pink and he quickly glanced away, choosing instead to watch his fingers twist together nervously.

Shane laughed a little at that. He was so freaking adorable. "What?"

"I… I think I know why he freaked out," Reed mumbled after a moment of staying silent.

Shane's brows furrowed. Who was Reed talking about? He could only assume he meant Riley. "Why's that?"

Reed's eyes slowly met his again, but he looked anxious, like he would look away again at any minute. "Because you were gone. You stopped visiting after he yelled at you." Reed began to scratch at his biceps nervously. "I think he thinks you hate us now."

"What?" Shane asked, startled. He laughed a little despite feeling confused and scared. "No, I didn't stop visiting because of that. I haven't been here because it was the weekend. I'm not supposed to be here on weekends. I won't stop visiting you, I promise. And I do not hate you."

Reed's eyes lit up and it looked like he wanted to smile, but his lips only twitched upwards slightly. "Really?"

Shane promised himself then that he was going to get Reed to smile fully one day, no matter what it took. Maybe even make Riley smile genuinely instead of that condescending one he always wore. "Of course."

"Good," Reed whispered, drawing his knees up to wrap his arms around them. "It's really lonely in here and Riley is such a jerk."

Shane laughed at that, but he didn't like the thought of Reed being so lonely. "He doesn't hurt you though right?"

"No. He's just mean."

That made Shane feel a little better, but something was still worrying him. "About him yelling at me, why did he do it?" Reed's head snapped up and he looked scared all over again. He stayed silent so Shane figured he would have to continue. "Was it… was it because I mentioned my family?"

Reed dropped his head and his whole body stiffened. Shane could tell he wasn't about to talk about it.

"Please Reed. Tell me so I won't say something to make him freak out again."

He caught his bottom lip between his teeth but said nothing. Shane was ready to start begging again when he whispered, "Yes."

"But why? Why did he get so upset?"

Reed finally glanced up at him again, looking very conflicted. It seemed like he wanted to tell Shane, but at the same time keep it a secret. Shane wondered if Reed felt like he was betraying Riley by telling him.

"You can tell me. I want to know so I know what not to say around him." That was only partially true. He also wanted a little insight in Reed and Riley's life, maybe it would help him understand them better. And why there was a 'them' in the first place.

Reed started chewing on his lip, his hands gripping his pants. Shane decided to take a guess. "Is it because you don't like yours?"

He timidly nodded. "Kind of. But we don't have one anymore."

Shane frowned. He had been afraid of that. "Do they not visit you?"

He shook his head slowly, eyes locked on his knees. "No. They're dead."

It was put so bluntly Shane's eyes widened. He had considered that, but he didn't think about it too seriously. He didn't want Reed to be so completely alone in the world. "I'm sorry. What happened to them?"

Finally, Reed looked back up at him, but his expression was different. He wasn't biting his lips or looking scared anymore. Shane could tell he was still Reed, but his face was completely devoid of emotion, as was his voice when he finally spoke.

"I killed them."


End file.
